Milan Baic's Pre-Vasa Clinic: Session 1

What I Learned

Tue, Feb
3, 2004 - By Bob Eifler

February 3, 2004

December 29 was the first of three Monday night pre-Vasa clinics given by Milan Baic at Timber Ridge in Traverse City. The audience was as targeted – mostly inexperienced racers, with a few grizzled veterans. The tone was easy going and supportive. Milan is a terrific ambassador of health in general, and Nordic ski racing in particular.

February 8, 2004

Milan Baic's eagerly anticipated clinic #2 happened Monday night, January 2. We spent about 45 minutes on a hands-on waxing session, with Milan demonstrating and each of us prepping our skis. Then it was snow time.

March 6, 2004 - By Bob Eifler

Milan Baic's racers spend the clinic learning about what to do in the days leading up to the race, race day preparation, and how to have a good start...

December 29 was the first of three Monday night pre-Vasa clinics given by Milan Baic at Timber Ridge in Traverse City. The audience was as targeted – mostly inexperienced racers, with a few grizzled veterans. The tone was easy going and supportive. Milan is a terrific ambassador of health in general, and Nordic ski racing in particular.

Day one emphasized the evaluation process – especially self evaluation. Here are some gems from the clinic:

Training

Two 45 minutes upper body workouts a week to a long way to improvement.

Strength can be worked in to a ski or run. Incorporate sprints, climbs, bench dips, etc.

Do something!

Health

Wash your hands often during the day, and don’t run your eyes.

Monitor your pulse at the same time of the day.

Goal Setting

Training log: Milan said to start one. “If you take one thing from tonight, this is it.”

"You can stay where you are or you can plan and improve."

The basics: Speed, Strength, Endurance. Use your log to record what, how long, how intense, plus personal extras.

The last resource is probably a ski partner to get you out on the trail and give you feedback.

Equipment

Skis: Old skis are OK. Fast skis stay fast. Next to top of the line skis work well.

Boots: “If the boot fits…”

Poles: buy a strap that firs your hand and swings well. The $100 Fisher pole (made by Swix) is a great buy.

Showtime / Snow-time

The trails at Timber Ridge for the on-snow portion of the clinic had thawed but were still usable. Milan demonstrated V1, Open Field skate, and V2. We also did a balance drill: from a standing start, see how few strides it takes you to go 60 meters up a slight uphill. We tried to improve over three tries.

Next time

Hands on waxing – we’re supposed to bring a nylon brush and a plexi scraper…